This invention relates to a process for preparing a composition high in carbon content and containing only a small amount of ash, nitrogen and sulfur by the conversion of a hydrous carbon sludge or carbon pellets.
It is known in the art that soot is obtained as a by-product from various chemical processes. For example, cracking of coal oil fractions and gases for the production of unsaturated hydrocarbons, as well as the pyrolysis of refuse, can result in the formation of soot. If this soot is obtained in "dry" form, then a useful product is obtained. Such a product has found application in the rubber and dye industries. When the processing technique yields a soot having such a high water content that it is obtained as a sludge or in a pasty consistency, for example, also pelletized, then the product is very difficult to handle, and is an undesirable by-product. In these cases, the water content can be as high as 40 to 70 weight percent. These wet soot products also contain hydrocarbons bound through adsorption. These hydrocarbons vary widely in composition, and result from the cracking reactions from which the soot product is derived. The storage and/or disposal of such soot products, therefore, can be a very serious problem, and can even pose serious difficulties relating to environmental protection.
There exists a need in the art for a method of converting hydrous carbon sludge or soot pellets into a product having a high carbon content with only slight admixtures of ash, nitrogen and sulfur.